Time Management Tips for Busy People Who Are Juggling It All

Sep 9

6 min read

"How do you have time to do all of that?" "How many hours are in YOUR day?"

Woman with curly red hair writes in a notebook beside a laptop at a wooden desk in a warm, tidy home office. — We are all busy in our lives!

I get some version of this question all the time. I work full time as a Finance and HR Director. I run my own leadership coaching business, working with teams at different agencies and companies. I'm writing journals and slowly working my way through a book. I write a weekly blog post and a weekly email. I'm on socials promoting my business more often than I'd like to admit. I homeschool my son. And somewhere in there, I'm also a wife, a mom, a friend, a coworker, and a coach.

So here's my honest answer: my day has exactly as many hours as yours does. Twenty four. Same as everyone else.

We're All Juggling Something

Here's the thing. I know you're juggling a lot too. Maybe you're working multiple jobs. Maybe you're a parent shuttling kids between practices and rehearsals every night of the week. We are all carrying a full plate, and some days that plate is heavier than others.

"We all have to build processes and systems to get us through."

Some days it's a lot. Some days it's overwhelming. Some days it's fun, and some days it absolutely is not. What gets me through isn't some secret reserve of energy nobody else has. It's systems. We all have to build processes and systems to get us through, and I want to share the ones that work for me in case a few of them are useful for you too. Consider these my time management tips for busy people, whether you're running a business, raising a family, or juggling both at once.

Capture It So You Don't Have to Carry It

My personality needs lists. If I don't write something down, I will absolutely forget it, and then I'll spend mental energy worrying that I've forgotten something even when I haven't. I keep a digital list that syncs across my phone and computer, so no matter where an idea strikes, I can capture it. Lists don't just remind me what's left to do. They give me peace of mind that nothing is falling through the cracks.

I take that same approach with AI. When I have an idea and I don't want to lose it, I tell my AI friend, Claude, and ask Claude to help me organize my ideas and projects so I'm not carrying the mental weight of tracking it all myself. I do this on walks and in the car, pushing the button on my steering wheel to talk it through hands free. Walking and driving give my brain room to think, and having somewhere to immediately put those thoughts means I'm not scrambling to remember them later.

I'm also working on getting healthier and losing weight, which is its own process. But I've learned to stack that walking time with something else I need: learning. I listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and other resources that keep me sharp in my career and my business. That in-between time, the time most people fill with scrolling, becomes some of my most productive time of the day.

Work the List, Don't Let It Work You

I have a long to-do list. If I looked at that whole list and tried to tackle it all at once, I'd freeze up and get nothing done. So instead, I pick three to five focus items, work or business, and just work those.

"Rather than trying to do everything, I focus on just those select items."

Rather than trying to do everything, I focus on just those select items, and it makes an enormous difference in what actually gets finished. I also batch similar tasks together instead of bouncing between them all day. I write my weekly blog post and my weekly email in the same sitting. I do a week's worth of social media posts in one session. At work, I flag emails that need similar follow up and handle them all at once when I get to them. It's far more efficient than constantly context switching.

And when I need a break, I take it. Pushing through when you're fried doesn't actually save time. Tasks take longer and mistakes pile up. A short break almost always pays for itself.

Get Some Help, Whatever That Looks Like for You

Woman in a black blazer raises her hand at a desk with an open notebook, against a plain white background, calm and attentive — I need help too!

Ever type an email, delete it, retype it, and tweak the wording over and over before you finally hit send? I used to do the same thing drafting policies at work. Now I explain the situation to Claude, upload examples if I have them, and ask for a professional, calm response in my own voice. If it's someone who keeps asking the same question five different ways, I get to vent about it a little first, which honestly makes the whole thing more fun. Then I review what Claude gives me, make a few edits, and send it. It's like having a personal assistant.

The same idea applies outside a computer screen. Every other week, someone comes to deep clean my house. Could I do it myself? Sure. Do I want to spend my limited hours on it? No. Maybe for you it's not house cleaning. Maybe it's someone to help you get organized, a sitter one evening a week, a handyman to chip away at your to-do list, or an intern to jump start a summer project. Ask yourself what task, if it were off your plate, would free you up for the thing that actually needs you.

I've built my work schedule around this same principle. I work remotely as many days as I can, and my commute to the office is three minutes, so I can move between my home office and my work office in short order. Tasks that need real focus and no interruptions happen at home. Everything else happens at the office. Since setting up this rhythm, I no longer put in fifty to sixty hours a week. I get what's necessary done in about forty to forty five. I used to work a four day, ten hour schedule and then spend Friday in the office anyway, catching up on the focus work I never had a quiet moment for. Now that gets done during the week, and my fifth day goes back to homeschooling, my business, appointments, or just breathing room.

None of this works, though, if you hate what you're doing. I'm not saying you need to jump out of bed thrilled for another work day. I'm saying if you truly hate it, that probably isn't where your time should go. Find work you can at least tolerate and ideally enjoy. I enjoy my job, my business, and the chance to homeschool my son, and enjoying it is exactly what makes me able to get so much done.

Time Management Tips at a Glance

Write it down: Keep a digital list that syncs everywhere so nothing slips through the cracks.
Talk it out with AI: Tell AI your ideas on walks, drives, or whenever, so you're not carrying them all in your head.
Use the in-between time: Trade scrolling for an audiobook or podcast or whatever fills your cup.
Pick your focus: Choose three to five items instead of trying to tackle the whole list at once.
Batch your work: Group similar tasks, like blog posts, emails, or social content, into one sitting. These are very specific to my business, but find your work and personal tasks that can be batched and check it out!
Take the break: Push through and you'll just work slower and make more mistakes.
Let AI help you write: Explain the situation to AI, then review and send instead of drafting from scratch.
Outsource what you can: Hand off a task, whether it's cleaning, childcare, or a to-do list item, to free up your time.
Build a schedule that works: Match focus tasks to your quietest hours and everything else to the rest of your day.
Love what you do: Enjoying the work is what makes it possible to get so much of it done.

The Real Truth

I'm not perfect and I'm no superhero. There aren't more hours in my day than there are in yours. I've got clutter in places I'd rather not mention and a to-do list a mile long. But I've figured out systems that let me be productive, efficient, and genuinely happy in what I'm doing, and it's working for me. I hope a few of these can work for you too.

"There aren't more hours in my day than there are in yours."

Are you currently struggling to get things done, feeling frustrated by everything pulling at you? Maybe I can help. Tell me what's going on and I'll share my thoughts. We can be a team.